How at Risk is Thailand from a Devastating Earthquake?

Earthquake engineer Panitan Lukkunaprasit warnned that an earthquake could strike Bangkok, Thailand. His announcement came in the wake of a 4.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the Thai province of Phuket on April 16. The earthquake lead to rumors among concerned Thais that officials and scholars quickly dispelled.
While an earthquake powerful enough to sink the island province is unlikely to happen, earthquakes with a magnitude close to 5 are fairly common in Southeast Asia and the surrounding waters. They are marked on a worldwide Real-time Earthquake Map. Earthquakes can affect Thailand directly by shaking the ground beneath it or indirectly by powering a tsunami.